The Last Sunrise
by Miwa8305
Summary: "I will not survive much longer in my present condition, not after last night. Not after I offered my body and my life to a hunger vastly beyond my own comprehension. Yesterday, I fought for the villagers of Sotoba. I fought for Tohru. I lost." -Natsuno
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Notes: **

_The Last Sunrise _is based upon the first eleven episodes of the anime, _Shiki. _May contain spoilers. Rated 'M' for language, violence, suggestive dialogue, and adult situations. Standard disclaimers apply.

I've planned to write six chapters. Hopefully, the epilogue will be posted before the new year.

**Chapter One: Death**

_Megumi Shimizu..._

I wonder why, while she was alive, I simply could not stand her. Was it the way she looked at me? The way she constantly sought my approval? My attention? My affection? Did her obvious, one-sided crush simply cause too much discomfort; a discomfort I could not bear?

Damn girl. I remember every night that I sensed her presence, hiding in the darkness, lurking outside my window. I remember every night that I was forced to close my window; to shield myself from her prying eyes. Then, after she died...

After Shimizu died, she grew to become more than a mere nuisance. Megumi Shimizu became a fucking _nightmare._ She spied upon me. She terrorized me. She invaded my dreams as I slept. _Megumi Shimizu __**murdered Tohru. **_No; Shimizu committed a sin far worse than murder alone. She turned my best friend into a damn _monster._

A monster I can not save. His thirst for human blood is... overpowering. Tohru is doomed.

And, I suppose, so am I.

I lay upon my futon, calmly staring death, or-possibly-a fate more hellish than death, full in the face. I will not survive much longer in my present condition, not after last night. Not after I offered my body and my life to a hunger vastly beyond my own comprehension. Yesterday, I fought for the villagers of Sotoba. I fought for Tohru. _I lost. _I lost my family and my friends to the curse of the okiagari. I lost my strength to fight.

My approaching death does not frighten me. Once I have died I will be able to rest. I pray for death. I pray for the endless void. I pray that I do not become an okiagari; that I do not become like Tohru. Until very recently, I had never given much thought to the existance of a higher power. Until very recently, I had never hoped that a higher power even existed. I pray fervently that _someone, anyone __**can hear me.**_

Shimizu is here. She probably wouldn't stalk me if Tohru were stalking me tonight. I wonder where he is. He is still in Sotoba, somewhere, I am certain. Maybe he is hiding. Maybe he is too ashamed, too disgusted, by what he is to do anything more than hide.

My window is open. My father checked in on me earlier, tried to make me as comfortable as he could because he is worried. He is a city man, too educated to believe tales of okiagari, yet he does suspect that I've something more severe than a common cold. "Maybe I should take you to the government hospital in the morning," he murmured.

I didn't respond. "Will you open the window," I asked, effectively changing the subject.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm hot."

My window is open, but Shimizu still needs an invitation. "Shi-Megumi," I manage to croak, chosing her first name because I know she will appreciate the intimacy of the gesture, _"come in."_

A minute or two or three, tick-ticks-ticks away _so slowly _before both her hands, fingernails painted a crimson color, the color an intense contrast paired with her stark, pale skin; grip the window sill. Effortlessly she slides through the opening, like a snake, her body twisting at strange angles. All the while her face is turned toward mine, her empty, eerie eyes focused and unblinking, as if she is searching; attempting to glimpse my soul.

Once her feet are steadily planted upon the wooden planks of the floor, she shifts her skull until her neck is again straight. She whispers, "Natsuno..."

Hearing my first name tumble from her swollen, blood-stained lips causes me to flinch involuntarily. Despite the feel of my own skin crawling in revulsion, I do not protest. "Megumi... I'm so tired."

She smiles, exposing a set of fangs, and croons, "I'll be gentle, my Natsuno. You won't feel a thing."

I do not believe her, but I do not dare to speak. Let her cling to her romantic delusions if she will deliver me unto the arms of the abyss.

Shimizu seats herself upon the edge of my futon and brushes a stray strand of hair from my face. Then, faster than my eyes or my mind can register, she dips her head toward my neck...

I bite back a cry of pain as her teeth penetrate my fragile skin. I do not scream or shout as my remaining life force drains from me; as she swallows my blood in great mouthfuls. I refuse to breathe a sound, even as my vital organs spasm and seize before inevitably failing.

The world fades away. I hear Shimizu, "You will rise again, my love. You and I shall be together forever."

She lied about the pain. I pray, with my dying breath, that these words are false as well.


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Note

Chapter two is dedicated to Hartanna. I do not know Hartanna, but she was nice enough to review and say "please." Thanks.

Future readers should know that I originally scrapped this story because it did not receive enough attention for me to continue writing it. Since Hartanna requested an update, I re-wrote chapter two and in the process have come up with material for chapter three. After chapter three, I cannot promise that I will continue to write this story… Unless at least a few people display some sort of interest. I know that sounds mean, but I am a full-time college student with a family. However, if you would like to read more, I will happily continue to write. All you have to do is review!

As always, standard disclaimers apply.

* * *

_Natsuno Yuuki…_

Tonight is, without a doubt, the happiest night of my life. Surely, the day I met the Kirishikis was grand. Surely, the day I learned that I had become an okiagari and would live forever… Well, that was a happy day in retrospect. However, every shining memory that I possess pales in comparison to tonight. For tonight, my Natsuno called me by first name; he invited me in. He asked me, _me _and _**not Tohru, **_to take his life.

My Natsuno is dead… For now, anyway.

I lay beside him upon his futon. Though his futon is rather small, I do not mind. I pretend that we are all ready lovers as I rest my head upon his cool chest and embrace him with my left arm.

Perhaps I should be afraid; what if he does not rise again? Yet, I feel not even the slightest of fears. I know he will rise. He will rise; he will call me by my first name and I will call him my lover… And together we will live forever. Because I am not afraid, I know all these things to be true.

However, there is a problem…

I have two options. The first: leave my beloved right this minute and return to Kanemasa. If I do so, Tatsumi will not find out that I killed Natsuno and I will avoid a beating. But, if I leave, Natsuno's father will find him in the morning. He will call the funeral home and they will put my beloved into one of those awful wooden boxes and bury the box in the ground. I woke up in one of those wooden boxes in the ground once. It was so terrible… I do not think I can bear the thought of my precious Natsuno suffering so.

Or, I could slip out the window with my love and carry him back to my room inside the mansion. Doing so would be easy enough, I have the strength and the stealth of the okiagari; I can easily carry him through the woods without being seen. However, I cannot hide my Natsuno in the mansion without Tatsumi finding out. Then he will know that I killed Natsuno, not Tohru, and I will be punished. My punishment will be more severe for bringing Natsuno to the mansion without permission.

I shift my head from my love's chest until my lips brush his ear. "What should I do?" I whisper.

Of course, he does not answer. At the moment, he is very dead.

* * *

_Please, Natsuno… Wake up…_

Tatsumi is beating me. Tatsumi has been beating me for a short eternity now. He's beaten me before, more than once in fact, and while I can still remember the terror I felt that first time… This is much worse. Okiagari are strong and tough, but we can still feel pain. I'm fairly certain Tatsumi has shattered my nose, fractured my left arm, and cracked several of my ribs.

_Please, Natsuno… He's hurting me… I'm scared…_

My beloved does not move. He does not move because he is still dead, still asleep. A glimpse of his beautiful face would sustain me, but I am too afraid to open my eyes. No, I have learned that it is best to close my eyes while Tatsumi is beating me. Looking at anything will only make him angrier.

Suddenly, the beating stops. I can hear Tatsumi breathing now… He is so strong, so much stronger than any of the okiagari… But he has obviously worn himself out; his breathing is labored and ragged. Footsteps… He's walking away. I hear him sigh as he collapses into the armchair I moved into the corner of the room last week.

His voice is calm as he asks, "Why?"

"You wanted him dead."

"I did. But I ordered Tohru to kill him… Not you. It was important for Tohru to kill him; do you understand?"

"Yes, sir," I manage to choke out, "but…"

"But? **What?" **I wince as his voice grows edgy and irritated.

I inhale deeply before mumbling, "Tohru wasn't there."

"Interesting… If Tohru wasn't there, then where was he? I know he wasn't here."

"I swear… I don't know."

"Well, damn… Why don't I believe you Shimizu?"

_Please don't hit me again. Please don't hit me again. Please don't hit me again…_

"I heard," I say slowly, "that he was supposed to kill Na-Yuuki tonight. I admit, I was angry and jealous… b-but… I swear… When I got to the house, he wasn't there. I looked all around before Yuuki invited me in."

A lengthy pause. "Yuuki invited you in?"

"Yes, sir."

I couldn't help myself; I opened my eyes. I watched, half hopeful – half horrified, as Tatsumi rose from the chair he had seated himself in. Casually, he sauntered toward the bed where my beloved lay sleeping.

"This boy was a nuisance while he was living. He knew too much about us. If I'd had my way, I would have hacked off his head and burned his body."

_Please… No…_

"However, Sunako wishes to see our numbers grow. For the time being, she's prohibited me from _disposing _of anyone that might become an okiagari."

"What are you going to do with him?"

He turned to look at me then; he smiled and, if I could have vomited, I would have. "Not to worry, little Shimizu. You see, your friend here was a stupid, stubborn ass while he was living… And I'm fairly certain that, if he ever wakes up, he'll still be a stupid, stubborn ass. So, guess what? He's officially your problem now. You will watch him. If he becomes an okiagari, you will **immediately **report to me. **At all times** he will be confined to this room. Lock him in, shackle him to the bed, blindfold him; I don't give a fuck. You will be responsible for feeding him until he is able to hunt. And, if you want to live, you will make damn sure that he is able and _willing _to hunt. Have I made myself clear?"

"Yes, sir."

"Oh, one more thing…"

"Yes, sir?"

"If his body starts to rot, burn it."


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note:**

Chapter Three is dedicated to everyone that reviewed, including anonymous readers: clalalala, L, and Troll. A special thanks to **Hartanna,** for all her efforts, and** Flower of the Flame,** for a very encouraging review.

Chapter Four is on the way, though I'm not sure how long it will take me to get it posted. Please be patient with me, ladies and gentlemen.

As many of you probably noticed, this fic is rated "M" for "Mature." Previous chapters did not live up to this rating, except for some curse words. Chapter Three features frequent swearing as well as one heavily scented-lemon scene. You've officially been warned.

And yes, this fic does contain a "Scooby-Doo" reference. A gold star for you if you notice.

Standard disclaimers apply.

* * *

Being reborn as an okiagari is very like waking from a beautiful, peaceful dream. I do not want to wake up; I would rather dream forever… I try to will myself to remain sleeping… Too late. I can feel myself waking. I try to cling to the dream, to remember it. However, the harder I try to hold on, to remember, the quicker my dream seems to slip through my proverbial fingers, forever eluding my grasp.

If a higher power does exist, then I have been forsaken. Damned to the fate of the okiagari, I know this before I even open my eyes.

I open my eyes and observe… An unfamiliar ceiling. As my vision adjusts, I notice that the patch of ceiling directly within my view is framed by the open canopy of an equally unfamiliar bed. Where am I?

I sit upright and glance around the dimly illuminated room.

A bedroom. The bedroom in question is rather spacious and lavishly decorated, with European-style furniture. Along the wall immediately to my left are several large windows, though this is less of an observation and more of an assumption. Each window is adorned with heavy drapery that would, I assume once again, effectively block out any and all sunlight.

European furniture… Drawn curtains… Fuck. I'm inside Kanemasa, aren't I?

To the best of my knowledge, I am unhurt. However, I am hungry… No, thirsty… So thirsty that my insides burn uncomfortably and my body feels irresistibly weak. Despite my trembling knees, I manage to slide out of the bed and stand, however unbalanced.

A slight breeze, most likely from the ventilation system, kisses my bare skin. Fantastic. I'm inside Kanemasa… AND I've been disrobed.

I should probably be more upset at the fact that I have recently joined the ranks of the undead than I feel at the present moment. However, I'm focusing on the three doors; my biggest priority is escaping from Kanemasa as soon as possible.

But first, I must find some clothes to wear.

Mustering all of my remaining physical strength, I stumble toward the only dresser in the bedroom and frantically begin my search by opening the drawers. Each drawer that I open is crammed, nigh unto bursting, with feminine clothing, each piece so fashionable as to appear utterly ridiculous. I curse silently. I know to whom the clothing belongs. Of course, I had to wake up in _her_ bedroom. If there is a higher power, I haven't been merely forsaken; I have been transformed into some sort of cruel, cosmic joke.

Maybe one of the doors opens onto a closet. I test the door closest to me and it opens easily enough, revealing a luxurious washroom. So I try opening the door next to the washroom… Bingo.

The closet is packed with clothing so garish, only Shimizu would be caught wearing any of these outfits. As I wonder, anxiously, when she will return, I file through the closet until I stumble upon a cardboard box. The cardboard box seems so out of place in a closet such as this that I begin to hope that it contains that which I am searching for. As quickly as my tremulous fingers will allow, I pry the box open.

My clothes… A sigh of relief. Shimizu might be an idiot, but at least she considered the practicalities of my situation.

As quietly and as quickly as I can, I dress where I stand in the closet. I'm careful to produce as little noise as possible, lest anyone in the adjacent room hear me bumping around, assuming the adjacent room is occupied.

_I'm so thirsty… No. Fight it, Natsuno._

After I've jammed my right foot into an athletic shoe, I vacate the closet and push myself toward the only, as of yet, unexplored door. With weak, shaking hands I attempt to turn the knob… Damn. Locked.

If I had the strength, I would consider kicking the door down. However, I console myself, doing so would produce an outrageous amount of noise and certainly attract some unwanted attention.

Wait… The windows!

Hastily, I push back one curtain…

And hear myself gasp at the intense, searing pain that threatens to burn my eyes until I'm rendered blind and scorch my pale skin. Reflexively, I grasp the curtain with one hand and shove it back into place.

Even once the sunlight has been extinguished, I still see stars. Unsteadily, I teeter backward, colliding with a small wooden table. I lose my balance…

The hard-wood floor is running, no speeding, toward my face… Too fast.

* * *

I wake to a new nightmare.

I'm lying upon the same high, western-style bed again, glaring at the patch of ceiling that is becoming far too familiar for my liking. As the seconds tick by, I become aware that I have been _restrained._ With a glance toward my right wrist, I confirm my suspicions; I've been shackled to Shimizu's bed.

And I'm still so damn thirsty… Actually, I think the burning sensation has grown worse. Now my thirst demands to be satiated, though I am still able to find the idea repulsive.

Speaking of things that are repulsive, I'm also aware, by the sound of light footsteps upon the wooden floor, that I am not alone in the room.

Shimizu. "Oh, you're finally awake."

I don't acknowledge her presence, either by word of mouth or by sight. Instead, my eyes remain fixed on the ceiling, in an attempt to avoid her… Somehow.

"Sorry about the handcuffs," I hear her say aloud. "I thought it would be best after your… little accident."

Little accident? Bullshit. Shimizu knows, just as well as I do, that I was trying to escape earlier. The handcuffs are a warning: a warning against future misbehavior.

Despite my lack of any response, she continues to ramble on as if everything is right with the world. (Though I suppose, in her eyes, everything IS right with the world. After all, she got her wish, didn't she?) "I'm so sorry I wasn't here when you woke up. I wanted to be, but I had some… chores to perform. Just because we live here doesn't mean we get a free ride." She has the nerve to chuckle at that last statement.

"Let me go," my voice is soft, yet firm.

"But, Natsuno-"

"Please refrain from referring to me by my first name."

_Thirsty… So damn thirsty._

More footsteps. Shimizu approaches the bed and offers me a glass of dark liquid. The wine glass itself is exquisite, very delicate, very ornate, and no doubt very expensive. But that which the glass contains disgusts me, though I desire the thick, crimson fluid more than anything else… Blood. I battle the overwhelming thirst that threatens to break my fragile psyche by asking myself… Who did she kill? Which undeserving, innocent life did she snuff out so that I might be filled? I have killed no one… And yet, if I allow myself to drink, that means that I will have accepted Shimizu's sacrifice. That villager's blood will be on my hands. I will have truly become the monster that I so feared. And if I allow myself to become that monster, how many more lives will be lost because of my weakness?

"No."

Though I refuse to look at her, I allow myself to imagine her face, her happy expression fading at my rejection. The thought provides me with a sudden thrill, a nearly tangible pleasure… Which I find shocking only seconds later. What have I become? While I was living, while Shimizu was living, I never enjoyed hurting her. I only hurt her because I had no other option. She focused on me, made me the subject of her selfish infatuation and persisted to hound me even after I ignored her. I had to ignore her. To do otherwise would have been to encourage her, I was all ready so tired of being pursued and stalked by her. But I was never cruel to her for cruelty's sake.

I turn my head toward her and look at her carefully. I've looked at her before, but not like this. No doubt she realizes this… Every emotion she experiences is visible, plain for the eye to see and written all over her face. Confusion. Anxiety. But mostly, pure joy.

Joy… A pang of sorrow attacks what is left of my heart. I feel sorry for her because she is no longer human, her cold, pale skin, her swollen, blood-stained lips, her enormous, empty eyes, are all reminders of just how inhuman she has become. But her slight smile reminds me of simpler days… When Shimizu was human. When Shimizu was human and just a silly girl with a silly crush and perhaps too much time on her lonely hands.

I try to remember, to conjure an image in my mind's eye, of what she looked like when she was truly alive. I nearly suffer a panic attack when the image doesn't appear immediately… Fearing that I've fallen so far from grace that even my living, human memories have been stolen from me. However, an image gradually appears… Shimizu standing near the bus-stop, wearing one of her garish outfits and carrying that ridiculous parasol.

Wait… That can't be right. If we were standing near the bus-stop, she would have been wearing her school uniform. Am I remembering two memories at the same time? Did I overlay the images because both are incomplete? What am I doing? Am I struggling to remember something so far gone that there are gaping holes where the color of her eyes and the blush of her cheeks should be?

My anxiety fades away as I realize… There is still a part of me that is very human, despite that I have transformed into something completely unnatural. Perhaps, even as I am now, I am more humane than I had ever been, even while I was alive before. Maybe that's why remembering a girl that is now long gone seems so important… And so painful.

I wonder what it was like for her as I stare into those eyes that remind me of the abyss. She was the first in Sotoba to turn, wasn't she? Did she wake up in a strange room with a scary stranger that insisted she cast off the remaining vestige of her humanity and drink? Did she refuse as I have refused? Did she fight? When did she break? When did she lose herself?

More importantly, was there even a shred of the real Shimizu still living inside the monster that stands before me? Is she scared because she can't control herself anymore? Is she horrified each time she kills? Where had the real Shimizu gone?

"Where did you get the blood?"

I can tell that she is surprised at my asking this particular question. Honestly, so am I. I didn't think that I actually wanted to know the answer.

Shimizu hesitates, averting her eyes and staring at the floor vacantly before she ventures to speak. "I stole it from the hospital."

With my left hand, I rub my face. I don't understand why, but I am not angry with her. My voice doesn't even sound the least bit angry as I say, "Don't lie to me, Megumi."

"N-not the O-ozaki Clinic," she nervously stammers. "The government hospital… They don't know me so… It was easy for me to get in."

She's still staring at the floor, as if the floor is _that_ interesting. I don't buy the hospital story. The whole thing sounds as if it's been rehearsed, then poorly delivered.

"Megumi, who did you kill?"

Her entire demeanor changes as I ask that last question; she now reminds me of a dog cowering in a corner because it's shit on the carpet. Maybe that's what she has become… An animal.

"She… She was so old," Shimizu whispers. "She was old and her husband had died years ago… Long before the Kirishikis arrived in Sotoba. She was a widow… Maybe she had children… Maybe they left her… I don't know. But she was so alone and sad… She was going to die soon anyway. Please… Please try to understand. I just… I just didn't want for you to be hungry. It hurts. I didn't want you to hurt."

_I didn't want you to hurt._ She was an animal. Interesting to hear just how the animal justified killing.

However, one thing was crystal clear. If Megumi Shimizu was an animal, I was her master.

* * *

The door is still locked, but the handcuffs have been removed. Convincing Shimizu to remove the cuffs was easier than I thought it would be, even after I realized how easily I could manipulate her. All she wants is my attention and affection… And she is putty in my hands.

Though I despise her still, I need her. I must warn my parents, Akira, and his sister. Afterward, I can figure out a way to end my existence, permanently. However, before I can accomplish any of these tasks, I must find a way out of Kanemasa. Shimizu is crucial to my plan. I'm too weak in my present condition to escape the mansion alone. Besides, Shimizu Megumi possesses two things I don't: information and the key that unlocks the door to my prison.

She is lying beside me upon the bed, her face nestled against my neck. I toy with her hair absent-mindedly as I consider Tohru. I don't know where he is… I don't know if he's still alive. Even if I were to find him, he might not agree to go along with my master plan. Tohru, my closest friend, had become one of my few remaining risk factors.

I would have asked Shimizu if I could see Tohru earlier, if it wasn't so obvious that she loathes him. At the mention of his name she becomes highly agitated. Somehow, later, I'll find Tohru… I'll come back for him, I swear to myself. However, for now, I must appease and flatter my warden.

As I lie there, freely giving Shimizu the attention she so desperately craves, I pump her for the information that I need to help me flee from this living hell.

Sunako is almost like a queen, as far as I can tell. The little girl, the elder of us all… Well, her word is considered law among the Sotoba okiagari. Her "parents" are more like her children, or beloved pets.

The main problem, or my main problem, seems to be Tatsumi. He is Sunako's second-in-command; he does her dirty work and keeps all the okiagari in line. He will also attempt to control those like Shimizu by whatever means that are available to him. In short, as my warden says, "He's cruel."

He is also the key to the first phase of my plan.

"We should run away together."

Shimizu shifts her skull until she is looking directly at me. She is so easy to read; the expression on her face is an unequal mixture of ecstasy, excitement, hope, and utter terror. "But… Tatsumi…"

"Tatsumi is exactly why we should leave," I respond. Gently, I caress her cheek with the tips of my fingers. If she were a cat, she'd purr. As she leans closer, I reflect; I can play her if I just say the right words and do the right things.

"It was wrong of him to hurt you, Megumi. I don't want him to hurt you anymore."

A coy smile. Mentally, I pat myself on the back and muster my confidence.

"I know you think well of the Kirishikis," I continue, "but they're lazy and self-centered; they will allow him to keep running Kanemasa… Then Sotoba, when the day comes. As long as he's in control, he'll cause trouble for us; he'll force us to live as he sees fit."

The happy expression upon Shimizu's face fades away as she considers my words. Regardless of my agenda, I'm speaking the truth and she knows it.

She just needs a nudge…

"We don't have to live this way, baby. Do you really want to spend the rest of your life stuck in Sotoba? We could move to a proper city. Hell, we could travel the world."

At the endearment, "baby," she practically melts in my arms. The bit about living in a proper city and/or traveling… It's like I just handed her a winning lottery ticket. However, those abyss-like eyes are still haunted by uncertainty. "What are you afraid of?" I ask. The question is for show, I all ready know the answer.

"What if," she murmurs, "what if… They come looking for us?"

"Is that what you're worried about?" I chuckle. "If we leave just after sunset, we'll be out of Sotoba before sunrise, before they even figure out that we've disappeared. Besides, we're two low-ranking okiagari, do you really think Tatsumi is going to abandon his precious Sunako, just to chase after us?" I roll my eyes for emphasis.

For me to accomplish my agenda, Shimizu _must_ leave Kanemasa and she _must_ leave willingly. I'm so close to getting her to accept my plan…

I need to seal the deal, and I need to do it _now._ She's close enough to kiss…

I tilt my head upward while my right hand tilts her chin downward while drawing her closer. I'm acutely aware that, if her heart was still beating I would have caused it to careen wildly against her ribcage. Gently, I brush my parted lips against her quivering lips, before pressing my mouth firmly against her's.

My first kiss… Never in my wildest dreams had I imagined that it would be with Shimuzu, much less in the situation that I found myself in now. The very idea is repulsive, yet… She tastes of blood. Blood… The blood I've grown to hate; the blood my body lusts for.

The overwhelming lust causes me to gently bite her lower lip, teasing her lips further apart. Once her mouth is open, my tongue slides inside, exploring… No, searching for another taste of that crimson nectar which I reluctantly crave.

Shimizu moans; her left hand skims the skin of my abdomen, traveling south toward my public region, before hesitating. I'm not thinking clearly… Maybe I'm not thinking at all… Or, maybe this was somehow part of the plan all along. I don't know anymore.

My lust for blood coupled with my lust for escape drives me with a strength I didn't believe my whithered husk of a corpse still possessed. My left hand glides over her exposed shoulder… Down, down, down… To her ample breasts. I fondle each in turn, then graze one contracting nipple softly with my thumb.

Startled, she pulls away and searches my eyes. I see confusion, a few small fears, but mostly... I see my own lust reflected in her eyes.

"I'm not leaving without you," I whisper.

"Okay," she replies, breathless.

* * *

"Tatsumi, sir…"

I'm standing in the cellar of the mansion procuring shovels and instructing two new okiagari. New okiagari are generally useless, mostly good for patrolling the cemetery and keeping an eye out for "screaming coffins." I hand one of the men both shovels, then shout, "Now get lost," before turning my attention to Shimizu.

She looks nervous. Though, she always looks nervous after a good beating. The better the beating, the longer she continues to look nervous and, effectively, stay in her place.

Yuuki rounds the corner and eventually stops to stand beside her.

I hate that kid. He's dangerous and he makes me suspicious. The best thing to do with meddling kids… Cut off their heads and burn their bodies with the rest of the fucking garbage. But I can't. Sunako…

A sigh. "What do you want?" My voice is hard and irate.

"I-I fed N-Yuuki as you asked," Shimizu mumbles. "He wants to hunt now… I thought I'd clear that with you before we left Kanemasa."

"Very good, Shimizu." I walk past her and position myself in front of Yuuki, toe to toe. Unlike Shimizu, he isn't nervous at all. Maybe that's the reason I don't like him… He always appears so cool and self-possessed, very odd traits for a living human. And now that he's one of us, well… He hasn't changed much it seems, which just makes me all the more suspicious.

"Arm," I demand. He holds out his arm without so much as even flinching. "Roll up your sleeve, dumbass… I'm not your fucking mommy; I want to see some skin."

Obediently, silently, he does just so. I grab his arm roughly and proceed to inspect the veins beneath his translucent skin.

To my growing disappointment, his veins are plump and a nice shade of blue. No collapsing, no discoloration, which means that Shimizu wasn't lying when she said that she had fed him.

"Fine," I bark. "Shimizu-"

"Yes, sir?"

"Keep Dumbass in your sight at all times. Hear that, Dumbass? That means you don't wander away from your sweet, little girlfriend. Yeah?"

"Yes, sir."

"Both of you will report to me as soon as you get back. No fucking in the woods, okay kiddies?"

A double, "Yes, sir."

"Oh, and Dumbass… You should know that your mommy left Sotoba. Your daddy is still in town, but I can fix that if you do anything stupid."

"Yes, sir."

I watch as Shimizu and Yuuki quickly exit. I did just as Sunako asked… But I feel uneasy…

"That kid is bad news," I murmur to myself. "Dumbass."


End file.
